1. Field of the Invention
In aviation different kinds of cartridges, are used, such as flare cartridges, explosive cartidges, decoy launching cartridges. They are generally cylindrical in shape and of different sizes, depending on their use and their power.
The present invention relates more particularly to decoy launching cartridges whose useful loads are intended for jamming radar or other detection means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The best know and most widely used techniques at the present time rely on the sequential ejection of projectiles which free their useful load as close as possible to the aircraft which ejected them. These useful loads are of different natures and may for example be metallized glass "chaff" serving as radar reflector, or pyrotechnique devices which burn while emitting infrared radiation.
These loads are contained in a case which protects them and which comprises at its base the electric detonator for firing a pyrotechnique impeller capable of ejecting the useful load at a predetermined speed and distance. Considering the diversity of possible loads, it is easy to understand the advantage of being able to accurately identify before ejection the nature of the useful load contained in the cartridges, as will be explained further on.
the equipment of an aircraft generally comprises a device capable of receiving a sufficient number of cartidges. This device may be reloaded on the ground by replacing empty cases by new cartiridges. This technique based on the use of independent cartridges has drawback of requiring considerable time for handling the load of the carrying device.
In order to reduce this grounding time, chargers have already been constructed comprising a number of cartridges. These chargers may be loaded by the gunnery staff. They are reemployed after use. Because of their repeated use and the handling which results therefrom, they are relatively unsophisticated and heavy.
In some recent applications, the independent cartridges have been replaced by loading modules, each containing several loads. These new modules behave like a multiple cartridge. They reduce the setting up time but the replacement of a defective load or a load already fired is on the contrary very delicate and can in practice only be carried out in the factory. Since the number of active loads of the device is limited, the need to obtain maximum efficiency means that a module becomes practically unusable if it is incomplete, either because one of the loads is defective through a manufacturing fault, or even if it was fired during a previous flight. The operating costs which result therefrom are very high.